The National Library and the National Centre for Nuclear Research Sign Cooperation Agreement
On 2 September 2026, Dr Tomasz Makowski, Director of the National Library of Poland, and Prof. Jakub Kupecki, Director of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ), signed a letter of intent to establish cooperation on preliminary research into the use of electron beam radiation sterilisation for the disinfection of paper-based library collections.
The cooperation between the National Library and NCBJ represents an important step towards protecting Poland’s written heritage in light of new regulations restricting the use of chemicals that are harmful to human health and the environment. Under Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1074 of 2 June 2025, the use of ethylene oxide, a gas previously employed to fumigate library, museum and archival collections, has been prohibited. The risk of damage to library collections caused by microorganisms such as mould may increase in the near future as a result of climate change and the associated extreme weather events, including heavy rainfall and flooding.
The search for new solutions and technologies is a key element of the strategy for the protection of cultural heritage. Expert teams from the National Library and the National Centre for Nuclear Research will analyse the effectiveness of radiation sterilisation against mould fungi and assess the impact of radiation on the physical properties of paper. Based on the results of these preliminary studies, the feasibility of carrying out further, more extensive research projects in this field will be assessed.
Read also the report on the NCBJ website.
